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Mach 1: Speed Beast
Determination Akane was tossing and turning in her sleep, plagues by nightmares of her near death experience. She woke up abruptly, gasping and sweating. She reached for a towel on the bedside dresser and wiped her face. "Damn.." She gasped. "Damn him.." "No words can counsel your wrath. So I have no choice but to face it head on. Just for your sake...I won't hold back. Prepare yourself." "I told you that I wasn't going to hold back on you. Even if you're Michiyo-san's little sister, you're still my opponent. That will always leave me one alternative: to kill you." "Please forgive me for stopping your potential. You could've been a great fighter... farewell, imouto-san." His words, along with the pain of his cuts, still continued to haunt her ears like the ghost he was. In both of his fights against the Tenno, Okita had used his own intelligence and understanding of emotions in order to trick his opponents in a trap - but she had been the one to have been defeated. It was only the fact that the birds they watched over were so loyal that they had survived their encounter with him. It would most certainly take more than their current strength in order to take him down. But what else was there? Akane looked out the window. The sun had not yet risen, which meant no one was awake. But she could not stand being alone with these dreams. She quickly dressed herself and walked out into the hall. To her surprised her sister's door stood ajar. This meant she was not the only one who lay awake. But when she looked into her sister's room she was not there. Maybe outside? Akane quickly walked out of the house and opened the door and cool night air greeted her face. And, just as she had predicted, Michiyo was walking away from the building house, back turned as if she hadn't seen or heard Akane exit the building as well. Despite the fact that her mother had not woken up, her tied-up hair was dyed purple - a sign that she had done it herself. However, it was from the way she walked that gave away the fact that she still wasn't in a good mood. Abruptly, she stopped after a few more steps, looking up into the treetops. Akane jumped up into the tree, clinging to one branch like a monkey. "H..hello Onee-chan.." "Akane." Though her focus was still not on her, her narrowed eyes, slight scowl, and overall angered look on her face was obviously directed towards the younger sister. "Get off and out of the tree. Now." She ordered. "Um..this is the tree I always hang in Onee-chan." Akane replied nervously. "This isn't the time for the normal stuff, imouto. There's someone up there, and I don't want you getting hurt again. Get out of there, NOW!" Throughout the sentence, it seemed like she had put effort into keeping her voice even. However, as she had continued to speak, it was getting more and more clear that she wasn't simply grumpy. She was murderous. And it was all because of something she was focusing on in the trees. Akane immediately let go of her hold on the the branch and dropped to the ground. "S..sorry!" "Now, come out of there!" She called up, attending once again to the source that she was supposedly speaking to. "I know you're hiding!" There was a moment of silence, before a calm voice spoke through the tense silence. It was one that, despite the killing intent, still held that polite aura around it. "I suppose the date's called off, then?" Without a moment's hesitation, Okita himself had leaped from the very same tree, arms folded in his sleeves, and onto the ground right in front of the two sisters. "Ohayou, Michiyo-san, imouto-san." He greeted. Then, before her sister could do anything rash, Michiyo leaned over and whispered calmly in her ear. "Sorry that I screamed at you like that. But leave this to me. I'll handle it." Akane scowled, but heeded her older sister's words. Needless to say, Okita still held his trademark smile on his face and squinted his eyes, even as he stared at the two sisters. "I'd figure after what happened, you probably wouldn't want to see me again..." He said. "But since today was supposed to be the day of our date, I'd figure I'd stop by and--" He never got to finish his sentence. Out of what Michiyo would normally do upon seeing the Soujirou, she had lunged forward, hand raised. Then, with what could be only described as adrenaline-fueled strength, she grabbed his throat (much to his surprise) and slammed him into the tree, eyes half-lidded in a dangerous glare. Even as a shocked Okita choked and gasped for breath, her eyes were half-lidded in a vicious glare even as she tightened her fingers, strangling the air from his very lungs. Akane's eyes had widened and she was trembling. She had never seen her sister so fierce. "I thought you were a better man than that..." Michiyo said lowly, almost in an animalistic manner. "I thought you'd be a little bit more humane than what you showed us all last night. And yet, that very night, I see my little sister lying in a pool of her own god damn blood, slashed right through the torso. And your blade was STAINED in it." Slowly, she leaned over towards him, just enough so that her mouth was close to his ear. "Give me one good reason...WHY I shouldn't break your NECK!" She stated, the sadistic fury ringing through his ears like a funeral bell. "...I..." "Why'd you do it?! HUH?!" POP! She gripped even tighter, and Okita's eyes almost went blank. A trickle of blood was running down the corner of his mouth, and sweat was running down his face. His gasps were becoming even more pained by the second. "...as...or...onor!!" "What?" Finally, she was so merciful to loosen her grip a bit, but still held her hand on his throat. Now that his voice was heard, he almost screamed out the words due to the intense pain through his windpipe. "IT WAS FOR HONOR!!" He managed to stutter out, making the female's eyes widen in shock. "Nani...?" "I...would've been very insulting to my opponent if I didn't give it my all!" He gasped weakly, looking at Michiyo with pleading eyes. "It would've been the same as spitting in her face and calling her an outright weakling if I held back!! I did what I did because if I didn't... she would feel even more humiliated!!" "Says you." Akane hissed. "I could have done without my spine being snapped than you very much." He couldn't bring himself to answer, the sharp intake and outtake of breath to painful for his bruised throat. For a moment, Michiyo looked on with a slightly thoughtful look, almost forgiving. That gave him a bit of relief, and he attempted his best to put on his small smile. "Fights are not meant to be clean. They're supposed to be bloody, tragic, and the worst fear of mankind. Those who can't accept that are nothing more than weak." He said softly. "That is my own mentality, and although you may not embrace it as your own... I hope you'll eventually understand." It was then that Michiyo's grip had loosened completely... WHAM! ...only to raise her other hand into a fist and deliver a ferocious blow right into the jaw. Pain exploded into his mouth, and he was wondering why hadn't he lost any teeth due to it. He fell onto his elbows and knees, gasping out of pain and for breath. "Weak? Weak is trampling over someone you know hasn't a chance of beating you. What you did back there was tyrannical, and I sure as hell don't like tyrants. If that's what you call honor, then I'd rather be a coward." Then, her hand trembling as she stared down his kneeling form, she pulled back her leg and kicked him right in the ribsection, causing further damage to his torn lungs. That was all it took to make him scream in pain, falling onto his back and clutching his side. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! G...GOD...ONNGH... pant...pant..." "Now..." With a harsh turn on her heel, she walked away from him, not even sparing a glance. "Get out of here while you still can. Let's go, Akane!" "H...hai Onee-chan!" Akane replied quickly and followed her sister. After they had immediately disappeared back inside of the house, Okita had stumbled back up, leaning against the tree for support. 'Get out while you still can,' she said. In his condition, he doubt he could use his speed to get out. Therefore, he was stuck hoofin' it for now. Trying his best to ignore the pain, he turned around and started running, clutching his side as he disappeared through the trees. "Um..Onee-chan..are you O.K?" Akane asked quietly. "Ok?" Immediately, she squeezed her fists and grinned. "Oh, I feel real good, now that I just did that!" She declared, her tone one of excitement and obvious relief. "I mean, I didn't think I'd catch him off-guard like that, but, hell! The punch to the face, the kick to his gut... I dare say I could've killed him right then and there!!" If anything, she sounded just like Chiaki at the moment. Akane was smiling and in a surprise move she jumped onto her sister's back and held on tight hugging her from behind. "Does this mean you can spend more time with me now Onee-chan?" She asked, a faint air of hopefulness in her voice. "Indeed it does!" Michiyo responded. "I'm in such a good mood, I think I'll cook for today!" "YAY!" Akane cheered, but then she remembered everyone else was asleep. She jumped down from her sister's back. "Can I help?" "Mhm." Michiyo replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Today, we're gonna surprise 'em!" "Alright!" Akane grinned as she and her sister entered the kitchen. "What are we gonna make?" "Parent's favorite." Michiyo said in reply, looking around. "We'd better hurry, though - they'll probably wake up soon." "Alright." Akane replied, tying an apron around her waist. "But what is their favorite?" Michiyo thought about it. "Tou-san's favorite foods are steak and Nattō. Kaa-san likes steak and ramen." She shrugged a little. "I think it'll be easy enough, won't you agree?" "Mhm!" Akane replied, stretching for a moment as she busied herself in the freezer, taking out frozen steaks slabs. ---- Several minutes later, the sounds of waking up were heard from within the parent room. Chiaki herself was the first to wake up, eyes opening slowly to the world around her. She was also one to realize she had her arms completely wrapped around the close figure of her husband. She was almost tempted to scoff at herself - was she really that possessive? Slowly retracting herself from his form, Chiaki pushed herself up and out of bed. Ahatake's opened as he felt her weight leave the bed. He yawned. "G'morning." He said cheerfully. "Mornin'..." She muttered, the morning obviously having taken its toll on her voice. Unconsciously, her feet carried her over towards the private bathroom, with a mutter that sounded like, "I'll be in the shower..." "Alright." Ahatake said, as he began to put on his normal outfit, excepting the large cloak. He wasn't going anywhere today, so he would really need it. He sat down again and decided to wait for his wife to emerge. He wouldn't get much of a chance to rest, before the door opened swiftly once more, and a feminine hand reached out to grab his wrist. The woman who now had him in that hold put on a sultry smile. "You know... just so we save more time..." She trailed off, instead pulling him in with her before he had a chance to protest. ---- It was a bit sooner than normal that they had finally come down from the upstairs. Akane was setting the table, and she looked up. "Good morning Tou-san, Kaa-san." She said, as she placed an ornate table cloth down. Being the first to step into the room, Chiaki's eyes immediately widened, a scent having caught her nostrils. She inhaled briefly - the smell of one of her favorite foods was in the air. "Woah..." She muttered, in slight surprise. "You two've been cookin'?" "Yeah!" Akane replied cheerfully. "I just came out here to get the table ready." "It smells good." Ahatake said grinning. "Kaa-san! Tou-san!" The sound of Michiyo's voice accompanied the scent of the food. She walked in, carrying two plates in each hand. Both of which had at least one piece of steak on it. They also carried different secondary items, each one suiting each parent's tastes. "Good to see you both well!" She greeted, one eye closed and one eye open as she flashed them a smile. Ahatake smiled back. "Nice to see you're in a better mood." "Thanks, Tou-san." She replied, nodding in acknowledgement. "To save you trouble of breaking your fingers from overworking, I thought it'd be best for us to cook this time." She set the plates down, where each of them would sit. "Please enjoy yourselves." "Thanks." Ahatake said, taking a seat at the table, and reaching for a plate. "Choose the ones you want, now!" Michiyo warned, as Chiaki herself took a seat right beside the man. "We went through a lot of trouble, not having much idea on what you liked!" Akane took a seat next to her father. "We get to eat too, Onee-chan?" She asked. Michiyo rolled her eyes. "Of course we do, you little git! Now c'mon! We gotta go cook it!" "Awww.. I want what they're having!" Akane whined. "My point stands." Michiyo replied, closing one eye and allowing a small smirk to cross her face. "Now c'mon! Or do you wanna go hungry for today?" Akane grumbled as she followed her sister into the kitchen. "It's nice they went to all this trouble to cook." Ahatake said, reaching for a Natto. However, Chiaki hadn't responded, for something on her elder daughter's hand had caught her attention. Stopping from her eating, she turned a cautious eye over to Michiyo as she once again entered the kitchen. When she finally saw what was up, her eyes widened slightly. Her left hand was partially and freshly red, and it looked like a bit of crimson stained the knuckles. "Something wrong?" Ahatake asked, noticing his wife turn her attention away from her meal. "Hm?" That made Chiaki look over at him in a sideways manner. "No, it was nothing... just thought I saw something." "Which would be?" Oh, damn it. He was pressuring. Now she had to say it. "Dried blood on Michiyo's left hand." She said dryly, hiding nothing but emotion. "It also looked like her hand was bruised." "I see." Ahatake replied. "Probably just a bruise from training, it's nothing to worry about." "I suppose..." Half an hour later, Ahatake set down his chopsticks at the exact moment Akane and Michiyo walked in with their own food. "Ah! You're done?" Michiyo cocked an eyebrow upon seeing Chiaki set down her chopsticks as well. "A shame. Guess me and imouto-san are stuck eatin' by ourselves." Ahatake laughed. "Not quite." He said. "I'm too full to move so I think I'm going to sit right here." Other than a slightly exasperated look coming from Chiaki, she made no attempt to move from her spot, either. "I might as well stay here, too. It'll get boring without you all after a while..." She relented. Akane sat down and to no ones surprise began to wolf down her meal. "Sometimes I wonder if she even tastes the food." Ahatake said, grinning. "E-easy!" Michiyo protested gently, even as she began to eat her own. "You're gonna make yourself choke if you keep eating like that!" "NoIamchno!" Akane replied through a mouthful of food. "Uh...what?" Akane swallowed loudly. "No I am not!" Michiyo scoffed. "Sure you're not! I'd be surprised if one of us didn't have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on you!" Akane thought for a moment and her face turned beet red. She hastily regained her composure however and resumed eating. "Wonder what that was about?" Ahatake thought curiously. Michiyo, apparently satisfied with the reaction, turned back around and commenced to eating once more. Akane finished her food in almost no time, and glugged down her drink. "Tou-san!" Akane said, after setting her glass down as well. "I have a request!" Ahatake's eyes widened, and her turned. "Hm? What is it?" "I want to train!" She said excitedly. "I want to train to increase my speed!" Immediately, Michiyo stopped eating, her heart skipping about out of the surprise. She could only turn her eyes toward her sister in wonder. Chiaki, having watched in amusement the entire time, half-lidded her eyes sagely. "So it's come to that, hm?" She thought. "It's about that Okita boy, isn't it?" She questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "Hell yeah!" Akane replied. "I gotta pay him back personally for what he did to me and Sui-chan!" Ahatake sighed. "This isn't an anime you know. Don't expect me to take you to some cool dimension where you can get a years worth of training in a day. If you really want this training, you're going to have to work for it. It's going to take a few months at the very least." "I don't care." Akane replied. "Besides, the Chunin Exams are coming up. This might go a long way towards that as well!" Ahatake grinned. She certainly had the spirit for this. "Well, if you're going to do it..." After the last bite of food, Michiyo set her own chopsticks down. "It'd be bad if I sat around and watched. I want in on this, too!" "Instead of watching why don't you train with me Onee-chan?" Akane asked. "It'd be fun!" "...." Michiyo, eyes shadowed over, could only pass a look of annoyance to her younger sister. "That's what I just said, you little ditz...!" "You said you'd watch!" Akane replied. "I know what I heard!" "You idiot!! I clearly said--" Immediately, they were interrupted by the dry voice of their mother, before an argument could take plcae. "All right, settle down. I guess they'll both be doing it, then, right?" She turned her head towards her husband for affirmation. "Yes." Ahatake replied. "They'll both be going. Hell I might do this training myself. Kami knows I need it." "Hmm... you're gonna train yourself?" "It's not that difficult." Ahatake replied. "Considering the fact that these two won't make very good opponents for myself, I'll have to make use of Shadow Clones." "Eh..." Chiaki closed one eye out of skepticism, but she seemed to relent anyway. "All right. Do what you gotta do, then." Ahatake stretched. "When are you two ready to get started?" Ahatake asked. "Anytime!" Akane replied. "My team will just have to do without me for any crappy D rank missions we may have to do today." She shuddered. "Walking dogs...never again." "Right now would be good..." Michiyo agreed, rising to her feet slowly. "I'm ready when the rest of you are." "Alright." Ahatake replied, and Sirius the Phoenix soared in as if on cue. "Each of you grab onto my arm of shoulder. Chiaki you tagging along?" But Chiaki merely raised a hand up dismissively. "Go have your fun, you little brats." She teased gently. "Firestorm'll be callin' me to a mission soon, anyway. So I might as well stay here." "Alright." Ahatake replied and as his daughter's gripped onto his arm they vanished in a burst of flame. Impossible Task They reappeared in a large island with a clear sky, plenty of plants, and a large mountain that dominated most of the island. "Here we are." Ahatake said, as Sirius flew up to the top of the aforementioned mountain. Immediately, Michiyo allowed herself to release her hold upon the feel of the chilly air. Though, it wasn't very cold, and she was able to get accustomed to it quickly, taking in a deep breath of it. "Will we have to trek anywhere? I didn't bring my hiking gear." She joked. Akane meanwhile asked what should have been Michiyo's first question. "Where the HECK are we??" "Hm?" Ahatake turned. "That's right, neither of you would really remember. This is Eternal Spring Isle. My own..."creation"." "What's it for, Tou-san?" The elder girl questioned, her joking mood fading for a bit as she looked around. "It really has no purpose." Ahatake replied. "It's merely the last untainted place on Earth. See that mountain?" He pointed at the large mountain that had not been there when he and Chikai had payed a visit. "Yeah..." Slowly, Michiyo turned around, frowning slightly upon getting the mountain in her sights. "What about it?" "I created it." He said. "This whole island existed before I came here. I merely...tampered with it after the old couple who lived here died. That mountain is my creation, utilizing a special Earth Release technique." He suddenly frowned. "I was sore for days after." Michiyo nodded, folding her arms across her chest as she stared at it in wonder. "You managed to create that whole thing? By yourself? That's amazing, Tou-san!" She complimented. Ahatake laughed. "I wouldn't advise you try something like that." He said. "Now for you training.." He walked off and came back five minutes later carrying two bags. "Speed is your goal right?" "Mhm!" Michiyo's eyes fell on the bags, and her deduction kicked in. "Those bags..." She stated cautiously. "How much do they each weigh?" Ahatake grinned. "Catching on, are you? But the bags are not what you're carrying." He opened each bag and took out two pairs of rectangular weights each. "THESE are what you are...for lack of a better term..carrying." He held one out and let it go. It collided loudly with the ground, leaving a small crater. "Others have used this same training method." "W-w-w-w-WHAT?!" For once in her life, Michiyo held the look of absolute shock on her face. "Are you insane?! We'll DIE if we touch those!!!" Ahatake sighed. "Are you a ninja or not?" He asked. "Use chakra. Besides, your goal is to climb THAT mountain with these weights. You may use chakra or climb it by hand." Akane looked shocked. "Tou-san..w-what if we fall?" "You'll die." Ahatake said simply. "Oh, that just makes me feel a whole lot better, Tou-san..." Michiyo said, rather sarcastically. But she seemed to relent into it, walking over calmly towards the weights and kneeling over them. "How many do each of us have to carry?" "Akane come here." Ahatake said, motioning to his youngest daughter. She obliged. "Take these and wrap theme around your ankles." She dragged one of the weights off the ground and fastened it to her ankle, then did the same to the other. "These...are...HEAVY!" She groaned. "That's kind of the idea." Ahatake replied. He turned to Michiyo. "One on each ankle is all you need." "All right." Grinning a bit at her sister's expense, Michiyo acted on her own accord. She sat down on the ground, tying each one to each ankle. Once she felt the weight, she took in deep breath, held it, and then forced herself up. Immediately, the weight kicked in, and sharp pain raced through her legs. She grit her teeth in order to keep herself from shouting, instead choosing to turn her gaze towards her father and sister. Despite the immense weight she was carrying, she managed a small grin. "I suppose you're not gonna..carry us to the mountain base...are you?" "And break my back?" Ahatake laughed. "Not a chance." He screeched once and Sirius the Phoenix came soaring down. "Sirius can however. Just grip onto his tail feather's and he'll fly you to the base of the mountain." "Thank God!" Michiyo thought, earnestly reaching for and gripping a few of the tail feathers. Akane reached for them as well, and she suddenly felt an incredible feeling of lightness spread through her body. Ahatake grinned. "Enjoy it while it lasts." He said as the Phoenix took flight and landed next to no time at the base of the mountain. This was the moment now. Taking a deep breath, Michiyo took her hands from the Phoenix, reached out, and gripped the rock with both hands. She would have to prepare herself - on her not yet adapted body, this would most certainly cause above-limit strain. If she was going to do this all by hand, it was going to be absolute hell. But then again, that was exactly what she felt like Okita should've been in. The thought made her smirk. Akane formed a hand sign and started applying chakra to her feet. "Imma do this the hard way." She said, as she tried to take a step up the mountain and slipped, accidentally dragging her sister to the ground with her. "Huh--" Poor Michiyo hadn't seen it coming. One thing she had started to climb, the next she was forcefully dragged backwards and sent sprawling onto the ground with a THUD! Now, even as her sister lay with her, a tick mark appeared on her head. Oh, how she would've loved for a less clumsier sister at this moment... Ahatake smiled as they forced themselves back up again, amidst slight arguments, and began to try again. "I wonder just how strong these two can get?" Ahatake thought watching Akane's failed attempts to climb up. "They both have great potential and huge amounts of untapped chakra, though who has more is hard to say. Both of them have the potential to become stronger than myself. Maybe even stronger than Mother or Great-Grandfather. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out." If at first you don't succeed.. Several minutes had passed. And in that time, Michiyo's body was ready to cave in on itself. The redness in her bruised muscles could been seen through this skin, and sweat was falling down her face in rivers. She could only continue to breath hard, even as she forced herself to climb up another painful step. She could practically hear her legs screaming for mercy, but she refused to pay them any heed. She had to climb this mountain, if she wanted to get anywhere with this training! Akane was a bit behind her sister, but even so, she was every bit as tired. She wanted to just fall, but that wouldn't end well. Her legs were aching but she forced herself to keep moving. She had one goal. Finish this training and kill Okita Soujirou, unless her father or sister beat her to it. Immediately, Michiyo gasped, shutting her eyes tight and finally pulled her hands up on the small ledge. With one final tug, she managed to rip herself away from the face of the mountain and onto it, allowing herself to stand and hug the mountain face with her back. An expression of hope was filling her. "This is it, sister! We're about--" Then, as she finally raised her head upwards, her heart immediately sank. Despite the terrible pain that she suffered, they were only halfway to their destination. All of that body-straining work... and fifty percent of the actual objective was complete. Her hands almost shook, as she stared on in helplessness. Then, her eyes narrowed in fury, all of the frustration coming to the surface. As she hugged the mountain wall, she raised her fist off of it. "GOD...DAMN IT!" She roared, all rationality gone as she slammed her fist into the wall. Unfortunately, the sudden shift made her loose balance... and the ledge under her broke away. Eyes widening in horror, she scrambled and gripped a part of the mountain with one hand. But the weights were against her. SNAP! When she grabbed onto the ledge, her legs were forced to fall downwards, and with the weights on the ankles, such a downward thrust had snapped the bone. She couldn't help herself. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" She let out a raw scream, straight from the heart as she felt the bones shatter. Oh, how she wished her medic of a mother was here right now!! Akane meanwhile, was trecking up and had finally reached where her sister was, the bone breaking being exactly the setback she needed to catch up. "Bye..O-onee-chan!" She grunted, moving on upward. "Y...YOU LITTLE--" Another burst of pain kept her from shouting out the indignant insult, she sucked in breath, a mixture of anger and terror on her features. "I...I don't care anymore!!" She screamed in her mind, shutting her eyes tightly and forcing herself up. Chakra was building in her hands. "I don't care anymore... I JUST WANT TO GET OFF THIS DAMN MOUNTAIN!!!" With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she began to climb again, anger and frustration being her drive. The pain was far beyond her mind now, even as it continued to plague her body. "Sorry Onee-chan!" Akane cried. "I'll make it up to you later!" What she had gotten in response was a cold and intense glare. Clearly, now was not the time for apologizing to the agonized woman. Akane, kept moving, but right on her third step past her sister, she lost her footing. "O-oh damn!" She cried, and she fell, faster than normal due to the intense weight. She looked down to see that her father was not moving a muscle. She really was gonna die. Die. The last word spurred her into action as she formed quick seals and applied chakra to her hands to latch onto the side of the mountain. She barely managed to catch hold of a rock that protruded from the mountain side. It was odd though. She was sure that rock had not been there before. She straightened herself up and became to climb up again, having lost miles of her original position. That very fact Michiyo turn for a moment, eyes flashing with at least some regret for a moment. Though Akane did try to leave her as if it was a race, she was suffering the same side effects of the weight. Maybe she was just as impatient to get up this mountain as much as Michiyo was... Shaking her head slightly, she reached slowly, slamming her hands into the earthen material with such force that her fingers acted like ice picks on the rocks. She continued to climb, her confidence returning to herself as she slowly began to reach the top. Only 10 more grips until she finally reached the top. Almost there... Akane continued to force herself, beads of sweat dripping down her face. She knew she NEEDED to get up to the top. If she failed, she;d never be able to pay him back. And her teammates would probably laugh at the fact that she had such an opportunity to improve and had failed at it. She figured the best way to make it the the top was to apply more chakra to her feet. It was either that or miss supper trying to reach the top. She focused, making sure not to fall again, and applied as much chakra to her soles as she could without physically harming herself. "I-ikuzei!!" She cried and began to climb again, her pace quickening slightly. She was far behind her sister, but she did have more determination than she. Her fingers were on the verge of snapping. Her near-broken legs felt like they were about to de-attach themselves from her waist. She could feel warm blood drip down her arm, signaling that some part of her hands had been torn. Yet, she refused to stop, her will heightening as she climbed. Finally, and without further adue, her hands found their way to the ledge - the final one. With another forceful tug, she pulled herself and flopped down on thankfully was smooth and chilly grass. As much as she could, and with a slow grin setting upon her features, she pulled herself enough in order to look over the edge in order to see how her sister was doing. And despite her position, one of her hands were starting to inch off, ready to lend a hand and pull Akane the rest of the way up. Akane declined. "You don't wanna fall to you death now do you Onee-chan?" Akane asked in a strained voice. She layed down flat on her stomach and pulled herself up into the crater. The sight was amazing. They were surrounded by a lush green forest and the air was far cleaner up here than even down there. She sighed and fell down to the ground. The grass was so soft it was amazing. "We made it Onee-chan." She said in a muffled voice. Pushing her hands back, Michiyo managed to roll over and away from the edge of the cliff, panting heavily. "I need a medic..." She muttered, closing her eyes and attempting to shut away the pain for the moment. "I think my legs're broken now..." Ahatake clambered over the otherside of the cliff, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. He too had weights on his ankles. "So you two made it eh?" "Barely..." Michiyo's dry reply was. "If we have to do that again, I'm killing myself." Ahatake laughed as he screeched and Sirius came down. "Heal her." He said and Sirius obliged, shedding tears over both Michiyo's legs. Immediately, Michiyo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the bones restore themselves once more. As soon as she could use them once more, she sat herself up, although the strain on her body was fading at a slow rate. "All right, so now what?" Ahatake stretched. "You survive." Ahatake said simply. "The best training is survival. I did say this would take a few months, did I not? Do you think you can survive up here, on teh mountain top for a month?" "A..a month??" Akane asked incredulously. "With THESE on??" She gestured furiously to the weights on their feet. "Yes." "I... can live with that... as long as I don't have to climb..." Michiyo said immediately, putting on a rather joking grin. "No, no climbing involved." Ahatake replied. "You just simply forage for yourself, keep yourself alive. And Michiyo, keep track of Akane." Ahatake sighed. "Yes, sir." Ahatake grinned. "Be warned. You never know what's up here." He said grimly before vanishing into the forest. Akane was sulking. "I don't wanna survive out here." She grumbled. Michiyo chuckled. "Oh, so you want to die, then?" She asked teasingly, purposefully twisting her words around once more. "No I wanna go home and eat dinner." She replied. "But I supposed if we're stuck out here we might as well find water." Reluctantly, Michiyo struggled herself to a standing position, feeling the ache in her legs once more. "Not to mention some sources of food..." She added, looking slightly bitter as she counted off the necessities. "Along with a place to sleep..." Survive They forced their way through the forest and quickly arrived at a large lake in the middle of the area. Akane's eyes lit up when she saw it. "That was certainly easy to find, Onee-chan." She said cheerfully. "Find what--" Immediately, Michiyo stopped as well, gazing upon the crystal clear waters with astonished eyes. It was certainly a large source of water, surely more than enough to last them for the month. However, she frowned slightly at that very simple fact. "What is this? There should be at least some dirt in this wild pond, but... I don't see a thing!" She commented. "Remember Tou-san said this place is the last untainted place on Earth?" Akane said, gazing at the water. "That must apply to the waters as well." Michiyo furrowed her eyebrows, looking down at the earth she was standing on. "This place has a different view of taint then I do, then..." She concluded. "Still now we have water." Akane said, sighing as she listened to the sounds of water. "Now we need shelter. This'd be easier if we had Wood Release." "A cave'd be nice..." Michiyo said in content, putting a finger to her lip as she looked around. "Let's go find one... and hope it's not occupied." "Just what I always wanted." Akane said sarcastically. "Mi segunda casa será una cueva. Agradable verdadero." "Oh, stick with Japanese and help me look for one..." Michiyo muttered, turning away for a minute. Akane sighed. "Wish Yue-chan was here." She said, walking around to look for the smallest indentation in the mountain walls. "Yue-chan?" "Teammate." Akane replied. "Her name is Yuri. I just call her Yue-chan 'cuz I like the way it sounds." Then, a small smile came across Michiyo's face. "Imouto... I didn't know you had those tastes in women!" She exclaimed, a tone of mock surprise in her voice. Akane turned slightly red. "W-what do you mean?" "You sure this "Yuri" is your teammate, and not some figment of your lustful desires?" "S-shut up you!" Akane said fiercely, though the effect was marred by her crimson face. Michiyo shrugged her shoulders, raising her hands for effect. "Not to worry, imouto. I won't tell anyone about your interest in the same sex." She said dismissively, putting on an innocent grin. "Of course, Kaa-san and Tou-san'll wonder, but..." Akane frowned. "They won't care if I like girls." She replied with a small hint of smugness in her voice. "I'm not the oldest so I don't have to worry about having kids anyway." "Only when I find a husband am I gonna do that..." Although surprised at Akane's reply, it faded away at the second sentence. "Good luck with that." Akane said with an air of someone who had just outbid another at auction. She kept walking and then stopped in her tracks. There was a small indent in the cave wall that looked as if it could be expanded into a suitable cave. "ONEE-CHAN! FOUND ONE!" Immediately, Michiyo stopped in her tracks and looked over. "Thank God!" Walking past Akane, she looked over where the lake was, and sighed in relief. "Good, it's not too far from the lake. We won't have to exert ourselves that much..." "Would you mind turning it into a suitable cave, Onee-chan?" Akane asked. "Yeah, go fetch me a TV, or something. Maybe some furniture to go alone with it!" Michiyo retorted, rolling her eyes and putting on a small scowl. "I meant increase the size of it." Akane replied. "I wanna go hunting so I wanted to know if you'd get the cave ready? C'mon don't deprive me of the only fun thing on the island!!" "Enlighten me. Because I see no way to make the cave larger than it is." "You'll figure it out." Akane said, hastily running off. "You're the oldest anyway, you should know this stuff." She called before disappearing into the brush. Sighing heavily, Michiyo turned an annoyed gaze to the cave indention in front of her. This was going to take a lot of thought and work. She would have to think carefully in doing it... Closing her eyes, she focused her chakra, and began her work... Akane was jumping from tree to tree looking for some sort of prey. She was getting hungry and the sun was setting. She sighed as she landed near the lake. "Might as well fish." She muttered and, taking off her shoes, walked onto the water. "Guess I could flush 'em out." She quickly formed hand seals and pressed her hand to the water. "Water Prison Technique." She murmured and water began to flow around her hand in a giant sphere. This seemed to work, she drew in a sizable amount of fish with her. "Now exactly how do I get this home?" She pulled her hand up and the sphere along with it and hoisted it over her head. "This should do." She said grinning. "If I manage to find anything else I'll kill it and take it with me." She began to tred home. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique." The first stage of the work began, as a fireball was unleashed upon the indention. The intense heat that was used would be enough to melt the rock into a lava-like state. Then, she would blow that rock from the cave with a wind technique, and there would be the finished experiment. For a prodigy such as Michiyo, it only took several minutes. In that time, she was able to clear the remnants away to reveal the cave, looking upon it with pride. "This should do it nicely..." She concluding, grinning from ear to ear. By the time Akane had gotten back to the cave, she had not only caught fish, but apparently had killed two passing crows, and a badger. "ONEE-CHAN! I HAVE THE FOOD!" She called out, till hoisting the gigantic watery orb of fish over her head, and the badger and crows tucked under her free arm. "I have the cave!" Michiyo called back, putting her hands on her hips and turning towards Akane slowly. Akane dropped the two crows and badger down on the ground and slowly lowered the globe of fish. She looked at the cave. "Very roomy." "Don't get used to the warmth..." Michiyo muttered, almost gasping for breath as she slid herself into the room. "Unless we get some torches or some firewood in here, it's gonna be freezing..." "I could just sleep with you Onee-chan." Akane said grinning. "Then it'd be warm." "Oh..." A slight blush crept across the elder's face, and she held a hand to the opposite arm. "I suppose so..." No one could know at that exact moment Akane's insides were dancing the conga. She pulled her hand out of the globe and water splashed the ground as the fish fell to the ground. "Now we collect firewood right?" A huge breath was exaled from the elder sibling, and she fell back onto a sitting position on the cold, hard floor. "Well, we could wait until later... blowing a holw through this mountain without making it fall took a lot outta me..." She said in exhaustion. Akane sighed and took fishing wire out of her pocket, wrapping her kills in them and placing them in a corner of the cave. "Alright Onee-chan. Rest then." "Thanks, imouto..." Michiyo said gratefully, giving her a matching smile. "Mhm." Akane replied and she sat down next to her sister, resting her head on Michiyo's shoulder. "I feel strangely sleepy." She murmured. "I'm not surprised..." Michiyo mused. "All that weight carrying must've been just as exhausting on you, wasn't it?" "Yeah." She replied yawning. "And Tou-san said we can't take these off, so looks like we're stuck with 'em for a month." "I heard Tou-san just fine..." Raising her own arm and slipping it around Akane, Michiyo gave her younger sister a gentle noogie. "Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I'm a hag!" Akane smiled. "I..I never said that." She said sleepily. She turned for a moment placing one arm around her sister, and then she was asleep. Soon, Michiyo closed her own eyes too, accepting the warmth of the figure beside her. With an arm wrapped around Akane's shoulders, she too eventually drifted off to sleep. End of the Month It was only one day left until the end of the month-long survival test and the siblings had fared pretty well. Albeit their outfits were slightly ripped in places and they had a few cuts and bruises. Akane yawned as she sat down on the cave floor, which was remarkably clean despite all they'd eaten. Due to not bringing any hair dye with her, Michiyo looked as if she had turned into a ghost. Her white hair was a bit mangled, but otherwise still long and flowing around her shoulders. The sleeve parts of her outfit were ripped off, leaving nothing but bare arms. Though she still kept her normal figure, there were shows that the training had gave her muscle mass a bit of a boost. To her, the weights were practically non-existant - she was now walking as if she had never had them on in the first place. Due to these reasons, her confidence had returned to her, and she was smiling heavily in excitement as she practiced a few martial arts moves. Akane lied on her back and stretched. "Hey Onee-chan! Do these weights feel a bit different to you?" "Well, obviously! At the first day, I wouldn't be doing stuff like this!" Michiyo cheered. Akane jumped up and walked outside, She looked around and found a sizable tree. She cocked her leg back and kicked the tree right in the middle, snapping it in half. "Seems these things increase leg strength." "You'd expect that, after carrying them around on your ankles!" The elder daughter replied non-chalantly, putting her hands behind her head. Akane ran up to her sister and wrapped her arms around her in a great hug. "How about we take the last day off of training and explore Tou-san's island Onee-chan?" She asked cheerfully. "Sounds good to me!" Michiyo replied mirthfully. "Where you wanna start?" "Let's jump down from here to the foot of the mountain." Akane replied. "It'll provide us with a rush, and I bet there's a bunch of interesting things down there." Michiyo chuckled. "You sure are a daring little devil, you know that?" She said playfully, even as she walked over towards the cliff edge. Akane laughed and her hair, which had gotten longer over the past month so that it now reached to almost her feet, whipped behind her. "I SCREAM FOR ICE SCREAM!" She cried as she jumped on the edge of the mountain side, her hair flowing up. Immediately after, Michiyo took her own leap and descent. Once she felt her body step off, the wind hit her full-force. Although she was in free-fall, it was almost like she was flying. A hawk descending onto invisible prey, she pulled herself into a dive, feeling the rush of adrenaline within her body. Akane sighed as the wind caressed her body, but she knew she couldn't justs it and enjoy it. Unless she wanted to die, she needed to create a suitable way to land. She quickly formed hand seals, her speed having increased in the past month, water began to flow from the ocean around them and flooded most of the island. She landed neatly on her feet on the water's surface and breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, her sister's landing was not so neat. "GERONIMO!!" PLOOSH! With a force that would've shattered the earth, Michiyo plunged into the water, all of that speed, force, and momentum rising up to the surface of the waters. The reaction was inspontaneous - the majority of the water in the lake was sent upwards towards the sky. "Onee-chan.." Akane sighed. "You could have landed better." The geyser fell, and a surfaced Michiyo was lying on the waters, head turned towards Akane with a rather Cheshire-like grin. "What fun would that be?" She asked, putting her hands behind her head. Akane sighed as she formed more seals and the water receded, leaving the island looking, if anything, more beautiful than before. "Don't blame me if you catch cold." "Don't worry 'bout me, I'll be fine!" Michiyo assured, getting up from the water surface. "I've survived this long!" "Uh-huh." Akane replied as she flexed for a bit. "Now let's get moving! I wanna explore the whole island before Tou-san comes back." Immediately, Michiyo ran off of the water surface and stepped onto land once more. "Like I said..." She repeated dryly, looking around. "Where to start?" "Let's start there!" Akane said, pointing at what looked like a dense forest. "Gotcha. Lead the way." "Alright." Akane said cheerfully and she started to walk briskly towards the forest entrance. "Weird. This feels like an RPG." The forest itself didn't differ much from any other. Green foliage was what mostly filled Michiyo's vision as her eyes searched around. The sounds of nature were ringing in her ears with every step she took, a chorus of the day. It would've been a great place to relax, too... She turned to her sister and cocked an eyebrow. "What's an RPG?" She asked in puzzlement. "A Role-Playing-Game Onee-chan!" Akane said exasperatedly. "You've never played one?" Michiyo shrugged. "Never had the time. Nor have I ever heard the term used before." She replied honestly. Akane sighed. "Onee-chan you're odd, but I'll let you live this time." She ducked a particularly low tree branch. "Wonder how Tou-san made this place." "I'll let you live this time?" Apparently amused by the probable threat, Michiyo allowed a small smile to cross her face. "What's that supposed to mean, imouto? You wouldn't kill your dear older sister now, would you?" "Only in self-defence." Akane replied, picking up an oddly shaped stone. "Whaddya think this is?" She asked, showing it to Michiyo. Folding her arms across her chest, Michiyo gave it a quizzical, yet discreet stare. "Depends on what its shape resembles..." She commented. "I might be able to guess..." "I have no idea." Akane replied. "I thought it was circular, now it looks like an oval. Maybe it's a fossil." "Doubt it..." Michiyo muttered, frowning slightly. "I'd see some kind of imprint in the rock..." "Well let's keep it and ask Tou-san later." Akane said, tucking the rock into her tools pouch. She started to walk again but was met by a mass a giant tress that blocked her way. "Onee-chan! We have trees in the way! What now??" "And I thought trees were your speciality..." Michiyo drawled, walking in front of the trees and lifting a leg up. "Stand back." Then, with a grunt, along with the thrusting of her leg, she connected with the tree via a headlong kick. The bark split, and the tree fell to the ground immediately. A pathway was now opened for the two sisters to slip through. "Tou-san'll be unhappy with what we're doing to the island you know." Akane said as she continued walking. "Mhm...the trees can grow back, though...right?" Akane sighed and then her eyes widened as they heard a loud screech and looked to see a Phoenix of massive proportions staring straight at them. "Uh..Onee-chan..another problem.." "Uh?" At first, Michiyo was surprised upon staring at the enormous bird's eyes. Then, in a surprise move, she laughed and waved it off. "Problem? We have nothing to worry about, imouto..." She assured. "Since the Tenno clan is around these birds for who-knows-how-long, I'm sure it recognizes us as Tenno, too!" The bird glared down at them for a moment and lifted it's wing allowing them to pass. Akane sighed in relief. "I thought it wanted to eat us." "See? You just need to learn to trust me a little more, Akane..." "Hey it was scary!" Akane replied desperately. "You don't normally see birds that huge Onee-chan!" Calmly, Michiyo started walking under the lifted wing, giving the bird a look of gratitude as she did so. "Relax... as long as they're Phoenixes, it doesn't matter what size they are." She insisted gently. Akane followed suit. "Hey Onee-chan? How big do you think this island is?" "Does it matter?" Michiyo rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "We probably won't scale all of it before Tou-san comes back..." "Yup." Akane agreed. "So let's explore what we can." She grinned, but that grin quickly vanished as she felt the ground vanish beneath her and she felt into a medium-sized hole. "OUCH!" She cried as she hit the bottom. "Hm?" Immediately, Michiyo stopped, peeking over her shoulder at the hole that now sat in the ground - and her sister with it. "Yeah...when you say what we can, does that include underground, too?" She drawled sarcastically. "Shut up!" Akane grunted as she clambered out of the hole. "What the hell dug that anyway?" "Probably the bird?" "Why would a bird dig a hole Onee-chan??" Akane asked annoyed as she dusted herself off. "Pfft..." The elder scratched the back of her head. "Well, animal instincts, I suppose! Like a dog tends to dig holes in the yard? Maybe it was lookin' for something?" Once again, she shrugged, this time in a fit of helplessness. "Just giving out suggestions." "Remind me never to ask you for suggestions again Onee-chan." Akane sighed. "How about you carry me?" She asked slyly. "That way is anyone falls it'll be you." Michiyo rolled her eyes and scowled slightly. "You can still walk, can't you? Unless your leg's broken, there's no need for me to play trolley with ya..." She replied dryly. "Awww..." Akane sulked. "Fine.." She sighed. "Despite the fact that this place is a really beautiful Island, it's beginning to bore me a bit..." Michiyo snickered. "Why don't you go take a swim, then? I'm sure the lake's close by." "Hey hey!" A voice called from up in the trees. "Don't go swimming in my lake!" The siblings look up to see the face of their father. "Ah! Good timing..." Michiyo commented to herself, raising a hand up towards the place where her father stood. "Tou-san! So good to see you!" She cheered. Ahatake jumped down from the tree and landed in a crouched position. He was grinning but that quickly turned into a wince. It seemed teh toll of his earlier encounter had not yet worn off. "You all right?" Michiyo questioned cautiously, giving him a slightly worried look. "I've been better." Ahatake replied. "Fighting a Mangekyou user takes it of of ya." "Mangekyou?" Akane looked puzzled. Michiyo answered for her, raising a finger up to emphasize. "The second stage of the Sharingan, whereas someone closest to the user has to die." She explained. "I thought all Sharingan users kicked the bucket." Akane said. Michiyo squinted both of her eyes in a knowing look. "Guess some had what it took to survive the betrayal of one of their own." She supplied. "Oh Ok." Akane seemed satisfied. "Tou-san, are we done now?" Ahatake stood up, brushing himself off. "Yes. Your month-long survival training is complete." Immediately, Michiyo let out a loud sigh of relief, raising a hand to wipe mock sweat on her forehead. "Thank goodness!" She exclaimed. Ahatake grinned. "With those weights, your speed training should be as complete as you can get it, but I'd advise wearing them for awhile longer. It'll pay off I guarantee." "No problem!" In order to emphasize, Michiyo performed a few martial arts kicks in open space, for demonstration of their newfound ease with the weights. "We've gotten used to them so far, I believe we can keep up!" She boasted. "Good." Ahatake grinned, as Akane flipped back and forth. "So we can go home?" She asked. "No." Ahatake replied. Immediately, Michiyo stopped. "...I knew there was a catch to this somewhere..." She grumbled, allowing herself to stretch for a little moment. "What else do we have to do?" "Clean up the trees and other things you shattered around the island." Ahatake replied, laughing. "...." Now Michiyo's mood had completely deflated, although she passed a glare towards Akane. "Nice work, imouto. Now we have to cover that friggin' hole that you made!" She declared in annoyance. Ahatake laughed. "I'll handle the hole." Ahatake replied. "You all take care of the trees in a SANITARY way. No burning involved alright?" "Fine.." Akane grumbled. "Yeah, first off, I'm gonna need some glue, some tape, and a little--" SMACK! "...Ow." The End Prev | Next